3-beta-hydroxy-5, 7, 9(11)-pregna-triene-12, 20-dione



Patented Feb. 10, 1953 3-BETA-HYDROXY-5,7,9 (11 PREGNA TRIENE- 12,20 -DIONE Robert Bevin; All- Vern McIntosh, JR, and

George B Spero; Kalamazoo, Mich, as signors t'o'llfi-lie Upjohn Con'ipany, Kalamazoo, Mich., a

corporation-of Michigan No -Di'awing, Application June 15, 1951,

- SelTaYNO. 231,904

retain; 1

The present" invention relates to 3' bet'a-hydroXy-5','7,9(11)'-pregnatriene=12,20-di0ne and to a process for its production;

This application is a continuation-in-part of our co-pending application Serial No. 184,702, filed September 13, 1950, to which reference is made also for the preparation of the starting compounds referred'to' in this specification.

The 3-beta-hydroxy-5,'7 ,9(11) -pregnatriene-12, 20-dione of this invention is represented by the following formula:

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel compound which is useful in the preparation of steroid compounds containing an oxygen atom at carbon atom 11 in the steroid nucleus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the production of this new compound. Other objects and advantages of-the invention, some' of'wh'ich are referred to"her'einafter,, will be apparent to thoseskilled inlthe art 'to'whicli' the invention pertains.-

The compound of th'e ptrsen't inventionis usefulinthe preparation ofsteroid compounds havinglan oxy'geh'atom attached to carbon atom 11'. Such oxygen-containing steroids are of 'particular interest because of the biological activity ofv the adrenal cortical-hormonesand certain known derivatives thereof, which differ markedly in their biological effects from steroids that lack oxygen in their constitution. Because of the present acute shortageotadrenal cortical hormones and thelackpf methods for their synthesis, the compound of the present invention offers promise as a starting material for the production of oxygen-containing steroids ossessing desirable biological activity.

3-beta-hydroxy-5,7,9(11) pregn'atriene 12.30.. dione is a colorless crystalline solid, which, when pure, has a-melting point of 201.5-203degrees centigrade. The steroid nucleus of the compound may be partially orcompletely saturated by hydrogenation. The compound and its'partia-lly or completely nuclearly saturated} deriva- (Cl. ZEN-397.4)

more fully. describebl'a'ridclaimedinburcd'mhdi ing appli'cationserial No. 264,648 filed"January'-2- 1952.. The smydr'ox l" roup isfalso c'apable of acylati'on to provide -a'cyloxy' derivatives which are discl'osediand" clai'me'dfin O'uFcOf-peiicling 'gp: pli cation Serial No. 228,134" filed May24= ',"195 1. The starting.v compounds from which" 35b -ta hydroxy--5',7,9(11') pr'gnat'rieri -12;20"'-'- dio'r reis prepared in accordancewitli the rocessor our inventionare a beta-ac cxy snpr11 triene-12,2() diones, which can be" obtai v originally disclosed in our co peudin'gappucation Serial r No.- 184,792,.filed Septembeif 13,". 1950;". by procedure which consists essentially? of the fol lowing:- H

(1) Dehydroergosterol isconverted to; afield duct-with maleicanhydrideor malei'c" acidi' [Hi Honigmann, Annal'en-508; 89-98 (1934) 1. I

(2) Theadduct of-dehydroergosterol"is esteri: fied-by reaction, for example, withb'enzoyl' chlol ride acetyl chloride on formic acid.

(3) 'I'heresultingadduct-of-tlie3 beta acyloxy dehydroergosterol is ozonized andth'en reduced in acid solution with zinc dust to obtain; an-adduct of a- 3-beta acyloxybisnor-E;7,9 (11)-climatrien-22-al.- (See'application' of 'Robert- I I .-Levin; Serial No.-1l1,-100, filedAugust 18,1949, fondetails.)

(4) An enol ester of 'the resulti-ng S-beta-acylox-y-'bisnor-5,7 ,9 (1 1) --cholatrien-22aladduct is prepared andozonized to the: adduct of: a3 -betaacyloxy -5,'l,9(1-1) -pregnatrien-20=-one-s (5) Theresulting? adduct: at the 3-beta-acylorry-5;? ,9 1 l -pregna-trien-20-one=is=reacted -witlr N-bromosuccinimide or bromine-to producean adduct of a 3-beta-acyloxy-12-bromo-5,7,9(11)- pregnatrien 20=onei (6) The adduct of th'e 3-=beta acyl0xy-12-= ence of an amine, to obtain the 3-beta-acyloxy- 5,7 9(11) -pregnatriene-12,20-dione, as more fully described and claimed in our copending application Serial No. 228,134 filed May 24, 1951.

In accordance with the process of this invention, the 3-beta-acyloxy-5,7,9(11) -pregnatriene- 12,20-dione thus obtained. having the formula.

in which Ac is an acyl radical or the residue of an organic carboxylic acid, especially those aliphatic carboxylic acids containing from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, inclusive, per molecule, is converted to the desired 3-hydroxy compound by saponification in an alcohol such as methanol. or in dioxane or other solvent, using at least one equivalent of an aqueous base. The product is isolated from the reaction mixture by drowning out with water or in other conventional manner, and may be purified by recrystallization from an organic slovent, if desired. The AcO radical of the foregoing formula may be that derived from carboxylic acids such as formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, hexanoic, heptanoic, octanoic, succinic, glutaric, cyclopentanoic, cyclohexanoic, benzoic, toluic and the like; compounds in which the A radical is derived from lower aliphatic carboxylic acids of this group are preferred starting materials for the preparation of the compounds of this invention. Compounds in which the A00 radical of the foregoing formula is derived from carboxylic acids substituted by halogen, alkyl and alkoxy radicals may also be used.

The bases which may be used in the saponification of 3-beta-acyloxy-5 7,9(11) -pregnatriene- 12,20-diones to the desired B-beta-hydroxy compound include sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, barium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide and similar water-soluble alkali and alkalineearth metal hydroxides and oxides, as well as water-soluble alkali-metal carbonates such as sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate.

' In the following example, the compound of the invention and a preferred method for its preparation are described.

Example.3-beta-hydroxy-5,7,9(11) pregnatriene-12,20-dione To a solution of 120 milligrams of 3-beta-acetoxy-5,7,9(11) pregnatriene-12,20-dione (melting point, 160462 degrees centigrade, prepared as described in our copending application Serial No. 228,134, filed May 24, 1951, in 9 milliliters of methanol was added a solution of 90 milligrams of potassium carbonate in 15 milliliters of water. The resulting solution was allowed to stand at room temperature for minutes, during which period the product started to crystallize. Ten (10) milliliters of water was added to the solution and the mixture was allowed to coolfurther for a period of 2 hours. The crystals were then separated by filtration. A yield of 70 milligrams of product having a melting point of 200-203 degrees centigrade was obtained. By recrystallizing this product from dilute aqueous methanol.

4 the pure 3-beta-hydroxy-5,7,9(11) -pregnatriene- 12,20-dione, having a melting point of 201.5-203 degrees centigrade, was obtained.

Analysis:

Calculated for C21H2603 (277.26 Found 77.78 78.13

T 5 I .Q

is the product when the reduction is stopped after absorption of 2 molecular proportions of hydrogen. If the hydrogenation is continued, 3-beta-hydroxypregnane-12,20-dione is formed.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact details of operation or exact compounds shown and described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, and that the invention is to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

3 beta hydroxy 5,7,9(11) pregnatriene- 12,20-dione.

ROBERT H. LEVIN. A VERN MCINTOSH, JR. GEORGE B. SPERO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,447,325 Gallagher Aug. 17, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 594,878 Great Britain Nov. 21, 1947 

